Oil Usage question

el34guy · **Posted:** Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:03 am

Hello,

I have a(new to me at least) 2003 Jeep Liberty that has 61,000 miles on it. It has the 3.7 litre motor. I just put 10w-30 Mobil One synthetic in it about 900 miles ago and noticed Im down about halfway through the safe zone on the dipstick. I also notice when I startup I get a blue puff of smoke after it sits awhile. Am I getting some valve or ring leakage with the synthetic oil? Just hoping I havent bought an oil burner here, any ideas for me to try without tearing the engine down? Thanks for any feedback,

Mark

Donkeykong · **Posted:** Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:17 am

I only have 15K on my libby and can't say that I am consuming any oil in my 3.7liter motor, although the oil cap suggests using 5w30 not 10w 30 not sure how much that makes a difference...

I hope you don't have bad valve seals.
-Mark

Jeepjeepster · **Posted:** Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:23 am

never heard of the 3.7L's using oil. They seem to be good little engines minus the fact some people have valve problems with higher mileage.

The only reason it would burn oil is if it was mis-used..

tommudd · **Posted:** Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:41 am

Over 75000 on mine using synthetic since 2nd oil change and no usage at all. I would go have it checked out right away just to be on the safe side. Not a Jeep dealership, a good local shop

USPLibby · **Joined:** Thu Jul 28, 2005 12:29 am **Posts:** 377

I've been using mobile-1 for about 80k+ miles with no problems.

Blue/white smoke usually = unbuned gasoline = clogged fuel inj or misfiring plugs.

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Fri Feb 23, 2007 7:13 am

From my experince:
Blue puff from startup (after sitting overnight) is an indication of leaking valves
Blue puff from acceleration is usually from blowby or bad rings

Have a leakdown test done and see if your PSI's fall within 10% of each other (you'll also need to know what the cylinder pressure is on average.) If you are using oil, it's got to be going somewere so also make sure you check for leaks and look at the underbelly for any indicaiton of oil

Halfway down on the safe zone means you've lost a 1/2 quart of oil in only 900 miles... that is a pretty decent amount. Another tatic would be to refill the crankcase to the full line and then watch it on a weekly basis 1 more time to really confim you've got a oil problem.

BVCRD · **Posted:** Fri Feb 23, 2007 11:00 am

USPLibby wrote:

I've been using mobile-1 for about 80k+ miles with no problems.

Blue/white smoke usually = unbuned gasoline = clogged fuel inj or misfiring plugs.

Back in my old school days, Black smoke = too much fuel in a rich condition.
Blue meant oil burning, and white meant steam from a head gasket leak.

el34guy · **Posted:** Fri Feb 23, 2007 12:53 pm

Thanks for all the good feedback guys, this will give me a great starting point..

Mark

raceinfan · **Posted:** Fri Feb 23, 2007 4:52 pm

Donkeykong wrote:

I only have 15K on my libby and can't say that I am consuming any oil in my 3.7liter motor, although the oil cap suggests using 5w30 not 10w 30 not sure how much that makes a difference...

I hope you don't have bad valve seals.
-Mark

I don't think it makes a differance I've been using 10w30 since the first ever oil chng. back when it was new (04) no problems here

BVCRD · **Posted:** Fri Feb 23, 2007 5:06 pm

raceinfan wrote:

Donkeykong wrote:

I only have 15K on my libby and can't say that I am consuming any oil in my 3.7liter motor, although the oil cap suggests using 5w30 not 10w 30 not sure how much that makes a difference...

I hope you don't have bad valve seals.
-Mark

I don't think it makes a differance I've been using 10w30 since the first ever oil chng. back when it was new (04) no problems here

It is supposed to get oil up to the upper valve train quicker on start ups. Also, it is supposed to get you a little better fuel economy before the engine warms up. Supposed to. Not too much difference though.

jcphoto20 · **Joined:** Sun Nov 19, 2006 1:36 am **Posts:** 507

dont waste your money on mobil one unless you want a synthetic/convetional blend for double the price of other people's.

they recently changed theirs so its not 100% synthetic. stick to amsoil.

tjkj2002 · **Posted:** Sat Feb 24, 2007 10:18 pm

Quote:

jcphoto20

dont waste your money on mobil one unless you want a synthetic/convetional blend for double the price of other people's.

they recently changed theirs so its not 100% synthetic. stick to amsoil.

Got anything to back that statement up?

65thKJ · **Posted:** Sun Feb 25, 2007 5:26 pm

Check for leaks too, synthetic leaks a little more if you already have a small leak

jcphoto20 · **Joined:** Sun Nov 19, 2006 1:36 am **Posts:** 507

[quote="tjkj2002"][quote]jcphoto20

dont waste your money on mobil one unless you want a synthetic/convetional blend for double the price of other people's.

they recently changed theirs so its not 100% synthetic. stick to amsoil. [/quote] Got anything to back that statement up?[/quote]

of course i can back it up. look in the other oil change thread. they even burned a sample and it was mostly mineral oil

sleeve84028 · **Posted:** Mon Feb 26, 2007 8:35 am

Regardless of what kind of oil the OP is putting in his crank case - the problem is that he's loosing oil. I haven't heard of a single Liberty that is loosing that much oil in my realitivly short amount of time on this board.

1/2 quart every 1000 miles works out to 1.5 quarts over the course of a 3000 mile service interval - that is a good amount of oil to misplace

Donkeykong · **Posted:** Mon Feb 26, 2007 11:35 am

As far as oil consumption, I'm involved with all 3 or 4 of the oil related threads that jumped out at me, and the one that sticks out about this is the following reply:

dieselenthusiast wrote:

Changing the PCV valve is important but very neglected. I had a reputable mechanic tell me that a clogged PCV will cause serious engine problems including sludge build up. He also said that a bad or malfunctioning PCV will reduce fuel economy and overall engine performance. Some people say if you pull the PCV out and shake it you can determine if it is good or not. If it rattles, then it is in good working condition. That same mechanic told me that this is not a true way to test it. Often times a PVC valve that rattles doesn’t mean it is functioning properly. He recommended replacing the PCV at least every 15,000 miles. When I had my Tahoe, I replaced it every 10,000 miles and I had 247,000 miles on it when I sold it. I also used Amsoil 0W-30 as I am also using the 0W-30 in the Jeep Liberty. From what I have researched, the 0W-30 by Amsoil is probably the best motor oil for our engines. In the Tahoe I changed it once a year, but I also lived in New Mexico at 7,000 feet and put on lots of miles. I am living in Missouri now, but plan to move back to New Mexico within a year. In the Mid West I tend to change my oil in gasoline engines much sooner as I am paranoid of condensation. I’m am going to install a Dual Remote by-pass on the Liberty once I find a place to mount it. Here is a link that gives you more detail, signs, and symptoms of a failing PCV. With today’s emission laws so tight, our motors run on a very fine line, which takes proper maintenance to a new level.
http://www.jiflube.com/myhtml/questions/question10.html

http://www.jiflube.com/myhtml/questions/question10.html wrote:

These are warning signs of a PCV system malfunction:

Excessive Oil Consumption: Excessive oil consumption can be caused by a clogged PCV breather element or a bad PCV valve.

Here is a link to that thread:
http://www.lostjeeps.com/forum/phpBB3/viewtopic.php?t=16753&postdays=0&postorder=asc&start=0

My reason for posting this is that the guy in ohio started with a foamy sludge under his oil cap, and then the PCV valve came up as a potential problem and it's a cheap fix.... definently click on the link at the end of the dieselenthusiast's quote and read what jiffy lube has to say on the matter.
I hope this helps. Or at least educates. I have yet to ever change a PCV valve in my 250K + miles of driving all my different cars.
Maybe I could have saved myself some CEL problems.
-Mark

el34guy · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:28 pm

Really good info on the PVC valve, thanks for the great comments. I think my Liberty sat for several months before I bought it and it sure could have clogged up.

el34guy · **Posted:** Tue Feb 27, 2007 1:28 pm

I just need to spell PCV right now

Donkeykong · **Posted:** Wed Feb 28, 2007 10:28 am

el34guy wrote:

I just need to spell PCV right now

LOL
I didn't catch that until I ready you comment about it being wrong.
-Mark

Oil Usage question

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